Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Assassin’s Creed has drifted a long way from its action-adventure roots over the last decade, expanding its horizons from deliberately paced assassin plots to sprawling open-world RPGs like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. And as much fun as it is to spend upwards of 80 hours pillaging villages in Anglo-Saxon England (still talking about the games), it’s easy to long for simpler, stealth-driven times. Enter this remake of 2013’s Black Flag — for many, a swashbuckling franchise favourite — casting its sails once again with an all-new lick of paint, guaranteed to satisfy those longing for the Assassin’s Creed games of yesteryear.
Built from the ground up, Resynced revisits the pirate adventures of Edward Kenway, one of the series’ most likeable protagonists, as he makes a name for himself across the Caribbean. _Black Flag’_s open world was always a sight to behold, with its vast open seas and bustling ports, but in this new upgrade it feels so much more alive than before. Newly added dynamic weather and water effects, an expanded underwater world (explore those shipwrecks!) and beautiful islands to traverse make every voyage feel worthwhile. Ubisoft has expanded the world perfectly, making it feel more than up to snuff with the modern console generation. Countless attempts at pursuing the main story led us instead to sailing into uncharted waters, making land to explore every nook and cranny for loot, or sometimes simply climbing to the highest point and taking in the beauty of the world around us (made all the better by a very appreciated Photo Mode.)
What a joy it is when your crew bursts into sea shanties after taking down a gargantuan Spanish galleon, while your own ship feels like it’s being held together with duct tape as you limp back to port.
_Assassin’s Creed’_s old-school stealth remains intact, and it’s just as enjoyable to hide in bushes and haystacks, methodically taking out an entire hideout, as it ever was. Better still, many of the late-game tools are introduced much earlier, so having the option to hoist an enemy up a tree or yank them off the edge of a building with your rope provides an abundance of options early on in this sneaky playground. The same can be said of the naval battles, which, unsurprisingly, is where the game shines brightest. With far more control over your ship The Jackdaw’s expanded arsenal, firing broadsides across choppy waters offers incredibly tense gameplay, and thoughtful tactics are needed to succeed when you inevitably find yourself out of your depth. (Note: try not to pick on any ships bigger than yours early on.) But what a joy it is when your crew bursts into sea shanties after taking down a gargantuan Spanish galleon, while your own ship feels like it’s being held together with duct tape as you limp back to port.
The real overhaul comes in Resynced‘s swordplay. Once a simple counter-based system, combat now actively encourages you to trade blows with enemies before timing parries to their attacks. It isn’t particularly deep, but it very quickly makes you feel like one of the finest swordsmen on the seas, pulling off flashy (and hyper-violent) finishing moves. Most importantly, though, the ability to send enemies flying into the ocean with a swift boot is still alive (and kicking), and trust us, it never gets old.
This revamped version also addresses the pacing issues present in the 2013 original. All of the modern-day sections have been gutted (the whole future-self exploring ancestors’ memories via the mystical Animus device having never been the series’ strong suit), and the game feels far more immersive for it. Not only do you feel fully integrated into pirate life, but it also prevents the plot from losing momentum. Missions no longer auto-fail either, meaning there’s no tailing a shifty-looking pirate for ten minutes only to face a ‘game over’ because you mistimed a jump and landed squarely on their head (a far more common occurrence than you’d think).
Despite some much-needed quality-of-life improvements, you’ll still occasionally be reminded that Black Flag is a game from 2013. A few too many missions boil down to glorified fetch quests, and once you’ve jumped aboard one enemy ship, you’ve more or less jumped aboard them all, making the gameplay loop a touch repetitive. That said, these are only minor blunders when a pirate’s life is this rich.
An absolute treasure for anyone itching for a big, expansive pirate adventure. Over 13 years on, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remains the definitive pirate experience (no shade to Sid Meier’s Pirates! or Sea of Thieves). Ubisoft has dusted off a classic, trimmed away what didn’t work and expanded it to truly soar across the seas. Oh, and did we mention you can now have a pet aboard ship? There really has never been a better time to sink your hooks into one of the series’ very best.
